The present invention relates to a sanitary device for patients and elderly persons (hereinafter, both are referred to as the patient) which can be used for collecting urine while the patient is in the lying position on a bed.
Any sanitary device for use by a patient who is confined to a bed must be constructed such that the patient can use it easily while reclining and such that the use of the device does not result in soiling of the clothes, linen and the like.
There have been available a variety of such devices for collecting urine but none has proved to completely meet the above-mentioned requirements. Aside from the sanitary devices for males, the conventional devices for females are not satisfactory because the physical features of the female groin do not easily permit complete recovery of the urine into a sanitary device without contamination of the clothes, linen and etc. with spilt urine.
Recently, in consideration of the human dignity and privacy of the patient, it has been demanded that a sanitary device be provided which the patient can use personally without the help of a nurse, can use repeatedly without cleaning, (thus saving labor in the hospital or at home), and permits easy disposal of the urine.
The latest known devices available for this purpose are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Such a device generally includes a receiver R which is applied against the body, a urine collecting tank P' and a hose H which connects them. The receiver R for females, shown in FIG. 5, comprises a receiver frame 1' including a hollow element having an elliptical section, which is open at one end 1D' and has a hose coupling at the other end 1E'. It further includes a top grip or handle portion 1B' and a bottom stand 2', and an abutting member 6' which is mounted in the opening at said one end 1D' of the receiver frame and is pressed against the groin of the body. In the device for use by males, shown in FIG. 6, the receiver R is a hollow element having an elliptical section, which is open at one end 1D' and has a hose coupling at the other end 1E', with the provision of a top grip or handle portion 1B'. In use of the device for females, the user holds the top grip portion 1B' by one hand and applies the open end of the abutting portion 6' against the inguinal region about the urethral orifice. The receiver R is supported by the stand 2' on the bed. As to the device for males, the user holds the top grip portion 1B' by one hand and inserts the penis into the receiver R through the opening.
However, in the above known sanitary device for females, since the receiver R is abutted at its lower end against the body by a mere gripping hold on the top grip portion 1B, the point of action which is in line with the point of force must be displaced with a considerable force towards the body by generating a rotational moment at said point of force. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure close contact between the abutting portion 6' and the skin around the urethral orifice, and in particular the contact force (pressing force) at the lower part of the groin (near the hip) tends to become insufficient. The result is that the urine frequently leaks out at the lower part and soils the patient's clothes, the linen and the like.
In the case of the conventional device for males, the patient is required to hold the receiver by one hand in a fixed position with the hose coupling side lower than the other part, and the resulting exertion causes mental and physical fatigue.
Moreover, a nurse is required to wash the soiled abutting portion after each use and, also, to discard the urine when it accumulates to a certain level in the tank and wash the tank, the connecting hose, etc. Furthermore, the patient's clothes, linen, etc. which are soiled as described must be replaced with fresh ones and laundered.
These circumstances impose considerable mental and physical burdens on the patient at every urination.
It is a general object of the present invention to avoid the foregoing problems. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sanitary device for a patient which can be easily used by the patient himself (or herself) with a minimum of exertion and without causing the urine to spill and soil the clothes, linen and so on, thus relieving the patient and the nurse of physical and mental burdens.